Deck 8: Evolutionary Solver: An Alternative Optimization Procedure

Question 1

Which of the following is true regarding Evolutionary Solver?

A)It is efficient at handling constraints
B)A good starting is critical to the success of it finding a solution
C)It places more of a burden on you to specify certain parameters of the algorithm
D)Running it a second time for a problem should yield the same solution

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The initial set of chromosomes generated by a genetic algorithm is called the population.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Crossovers are rare as a genetic algorithm is generating chromosomes for the next generations.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

In cluster analysis, the number of clusters is usually assigned ahead of time.

Question 5

Combinatorial problems have only a finite number of feasible solutions.

Question 6

In Evolutionary Solver, the initial population is chosen randomly, so the starting solution you enter in the changing cells is irrelevant.

Question 7

If you let a genetic algorithm run long enough, it is guaranteed to find the solution to any optimization problem.

Question 8

The data used to classify members in a discriminant analysis is called a:

A)group
B)cluster
C)training sample
D)population

Question 9

Which of the following is not a form of non-linear pricing?

A)Two-part tariff
B)Surplus value
C)Selling only single item packs or packs of n items
D)Charging one price for the first n items and another price for the rest

Question 10

Evolutionary Solver works best when constraints are applied as:

A)penalties
B)shortages
C)capacities
D)targets

Question 11

The number of possible paths in a shortest path problem with n locations is:

A)n
B)n − 1
C)n2
D)n!

Question 12

Which of the following is not a step in a genetic algorithm?

A)Generating a population
B)Creating a new generation
C)Culling the population
D)Evaluating a stopping condition

Question 13

A discriminant score is a weighted combination of the data for each member of a population, which is used to classify the members into groups.

Question 14

If the classification matrix from a discriminant analysis shows a high percentage of correct classification, then we can be confident that the classification will work well for other populations.

Question 15

The Evolutionary Solver setting that helps the algorithm explore a completely different area of the feasible region is:

A)convergence
B)mutation rate
C)population size
D)random seed

Question 16

Evolutionary Solver is primarily used to solve models where:

A)some or all of the changing cells are restricted to be binary and/or integer
B)the objective cell and constraints are "smooth" functions of the changing cells
C)there are numerous constraints
D)the objective call and constraints are "nonsmooth" functions of the changing cells

Question 17

Mutations are useful for getting a genetic algorithm "unstuck".

Question 18

A traveling salesman problem with a starting city and 10 other cities that must be visited has 1,826,800 possible solutions.

Question 19

The objective function in a genetic algorithm is called a:

A)chromosome
B)fitness function
C)population
D)generation

Question 20

Which of the following is not one of the Excel functions that necessitate the use of Evolutionary Solver to obtain solutions?

A)SUM
B)IF
C)MAX
D)MIN

Question 21

Exhibit 8-4Steve the salesman must travel along a route from his home in Denver that visits all of the cities shown below exactly once before returning home. The mileage between each city on the route is also listed below:

Refer to Exhibit 8-4. Suppose Steve moves to Los Angeles. What is the shortest distance in this case?

Question 22

Exhibit 8-3A standardized testing agency would like to understand the role of tests in admission decisions at top business schools. It is particularly interested in the relative roles played by the GRE and the undergraduate GPA in the admissions process. It has gathered the following data for 50 randomly sampled applicants (which has been sorted by Admitted):

Refer to Exhibit 8-3. Test your model against another randomly drawn sample of 50 students (data shown below). Does your model work as well for this sample? Can you explain your findings?

Question 23

Exhibit 8-3A standardized testing agency would like to understand the role of tests in admission decisions at top business schools. It is particularly interested in the relative roles played by the GRE and the undergraduate GPA in the admissions process. It has gathered the following data for 50 randomly sampled applicants (which has been sorted by Admitted):

Refer to Exhibit 8-3. Write out your model and interpret your results. Do the results make sense?

Question 24

Exhibit 8-2A television station has commercials of the following lengths (in seconds): 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 45, 50, and 60. The commercials must be assigned to 90-second breaks. If a commercial break exceeds 90 seconds, a penalty cost is incurred. Station managers have established a penalty of $100 (per second) if the maximum limit is exceeded. Moreover, station owners want commercial breaks that are at least 65 seconds in duration. If any break fails to achieve this minimum duration, then a $1000 penalty (per occurrence) is charged.
Refer to Exhibit 8-2. Explain why this problem typically requires Evolutionary Solver to obtain a solution.

Question 25

Exhibit 8-3A standardized testing agency would like to understand the role of tests in admission decisions at top business schools. It is particularly interested in the relative roles played by the GRE and the undergraduate GPA in the admissions process. It has gathered the following data for 50 randomly sampled applicants (which has been sorted by Admitted):

Refer to Exhibit 8-3. Use a discriminant analysis to develop a classification model. What is the best percentage correctly classified obtained with your model?

Question 26

Exhibit 8-4Steve the salesman must travel along a route from his home in Denver that visits all of the cities shown below exactly once before returning home. The mileage between each city on the route is also listed below:

Refer to Exhibit 8-4. Formulate and solve a shortest-path model using Evolutionary Solver. What is the shortest distance Steve can travel and visit all cities? What is the route?

Question 27

Exhibit 8-1Six storage bins on a railroad train are available for shipment of grain from Kansas City to Dallas. Three of the bins can hold 1500 bushels of grain each, while the other three can hold 750 bushels each. There are four types of grain that can be shipped, and the amount demanded, unit shortage cost and maximum allowable shortage for each are:If the maximum allowable shortage is exceeded for any grain, a $100/bushel penalty is incurred.

Refer to Exhibit 8-1. How should the train be loaded to minimize shortage and penalty costs?

Question 28

Exhibit 8-4Steve the salesman must travel along a route from his home in Denver that visits all of the cities shown below exactly once before returning home. The mileage between each city on the route is also listed below:

Refer to Exhibit 8-4. Suppose Steve's company decides to locate a second salesperson in the region. Steve will now cover only Denver, Albuquerque, El Paso, Phoenix and Salt Lake City. The second salesperson will cover Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle and Las Vegas. Formulate and solve shortest-path models for both salespersons. Is the total mileage for both salespersons more or less than in the case where Steve is the only salesperson?

Question 29

Exhibit 8-1Six storage bins on a railroad train are available for shipment of grain from Kansas City to Dallas. Three of the bins can hold 1500 bushels of grain each, while the other three can hold 750 bushels each. There are four types of grain that can be shipped, and the amount demanded, unit shortage cost and maximum allowable shortage for each are:If the maximum allowable shortage is exceeded for any grain, a $100/bushel penalty is incurred.

Refer to Exhibit 8-1. This is an example of what type of optimization problem?

Question 30

Exhibit 8-2A television station has commercials of the following lengths (in seconds): 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 45, 50, and 60. The commercials must be assigned to 90-second breaks. If a commercial break exceeds 90 seconds, a penalty cost is incurred. Station managers have established a penalty of $100 (per second) if the maximum limit is exceeded. Moreover, station owners want commercial breaks that are at least 65 seconds in duration. If any break fails to achieve this minimum duration, then a $1000 penalty (per occurrence) is charged.
Refer to Exhibit 8-2. What is the fewest number of breaks that are needed to air all eight of the commercials?